I own 4 carry handguns. Two Colt 1911’s: a Series 70 Gov’t Model(done up nicely by the Gunsmithy out at Gunsite)and an Officer’s Model that has been touched by Bill Wilson,Richard Hienie(just the rev.plug set-up),Dino from Siles in Manhattan and a FINAL quick trip to the Gunsmithy out in AZ. My other two handguns are Glocks, a 19 and 26. These were my duty and O/D back in New York. The ONLY thing done to the 19…Novak sights to match the 2 Colts and the extended(Glock)slidestop. That’s it. The 26 has the e.s.s, but no Novaks yet. WHAT DO I CARRY YOU ASK?? The Glocks. Probably more due to force of habit then anything else. Once my job switched from 38 Spl revolvers to the Austrian tupperware that was my daily routine. Carry the 26 into work,suit up and strap on the 19. My Colts got the TLC, but rarely were carried.
In all honesty a guy pulling anything but a Glock or stainless Smith 9mm in the City of New York…might get himself shot!! The Glock became an identifier when off-duty in civilian clothes. Now that I’m retired I gotta start packin’ and SHOOTING my 2 Colts,especially that OM which I have my Wilson-Rogers mags, and Milt Sparks Summer Special for. It’s a crying shame…! I’d like to take that Larry Vickers 3(?)Day 1911 Operators Course NOT just for the shooting instruction, BUT the MAINTENANCE TIPS. I hear the course is great!!! That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!!
Although I haven’t put the 1911 out to pasture, for about the last 4 years I have been shooting/carrying/useing Glocks more often then anything else. Oddly enough, what has kept the 1911 hanging on was due to 2 1911 classes (Larry and Ken Hackathorne/Hilton Yam) Those were the last times I put a signifagant amount of rounds through a 1911 platform.
Old Grunt, If you go to Larry’s class, be carefull, you will NEVER look at a 1911 the same way again. He joked that his 1911 operators class was really the “Glock appreciation course.”
I first talked to him 3 summers ago before attending one of his classes. He advised me to get a Glock 19 and not look back. Luckily for me, I already had one…The same pistol is my primary. Even when attending “1911” classes, I always had it close at hand.
Pretty interesting that LAV says that. I have heard he says it quite often. Does he recommend any Glock mods or pretty much stock? I don’t change much on mine at all except sights.
I put 200 rounds through the Smith 1911 I bought yesterday. No issues and a very nice pistol especially for the minimal $$ it cost.
The HK P30 beats the Glock 19 on ergo’s and I find it very accurate but the Glock has advantages of it’s own like the trigger reset which I love and the ability to easily detail strip and replace parts yourself which is a huge advantage in my book.
OK, I give in I do like my XD40 alot, but I don’t like the grip size or it’s width. I bought it because it fits in my bedside gun safe and has a rail for a light. It is reliable, accurate and easy to shoot, but no way I carry that beast!
I also really like my S&W 640. Great gun. Fit outfits which won’t hold the 1911. Very accurate in slowfire. It is still hard to hit well rapid fire and is only a .357 hole in the BG.
1911 = 45 hole in BG. Fast and accurate rapid fire. Thin for carry. Comfortable grip. Thin mags for carry. Weakness: Ususally requires action tuning(1 time deal) and pretty grips break(need durable ugly grips like pachmyers)
The m&p seems to be a popular gun on this forum. I personally had no love for it. I spent about an hour with it and near 250 rounds and it just didn’t impress me.
I’m fond of the XD and the sig series. I own others but those are the 2 that stick out in my mind right now as favorites. Believe it or not I like my cheap 24/7 pro by taurus too. It is what it is though.
I would be hard pressed to say any of them shoot better than my 1911’s though.
Finished the advanced pistol class with Ken Hackathorn recently and his explaination about the development and reliability of the HK 45 threw me over the line to decide to purchase one of these guns.
I respect the work that went into taking the best of several improvements from HK earlier designs to form a replacement for the 1911 that has high reliability and accuracy out of the box. Something the 1911 lacks until the custom shops add value to them.
I think the 1911 design is timeless and I have one that I will never upgrade or change that has been with me for ~3 decades and was a duty gun.
But, it is 2008 and technology has overtaken a timeless piece of history. I have had several HK’s over the years but I must say that the full sized HK 45 took me by surprise and I am happy with mine. I am waiting on a decent holster and when that arrives, I am planning to use this in some classes Im scheduled for later this year and run it hard to get it well broken in.
YMMV. Some people like Ford, Some Chevy.
Ditto.
I sold my kimber and bought a glock in .45 gap. The round feels the same, and it’s a bit lighter and smaller. I’m happy with it and keep it as home defense. I keep a snubby .38 taurus ultralight on me at work and am equally as happy. Though I’ve never had to use them I feel they will do the job with less bulk. My absolute favorite is an old '64 walther p38. I will be purchasing the springfield xd because it has the exact same point and shoot feel.
Though I own three 1911’s I rarely ever carry any of them. The only one I use for carry is a Springfield GI champion I worked on. That one I only carry in the winter months when heavy clothing might prevent a 9mm from doing the job. My usual carry is a XD-9 or now a HK P7. I see no need for a .45 if a well placed 9mm will do the job just as well (at least with modern JHP defensive loads).
The HK P2K in 357 Sig. Easy to carry IWB, extremly accurate, and it goes bang all them time. The bottleneck cartridge want to feed and it is the flattest shooting pistol round I’ve ever seen.
It was the 1911 that caused me to abandon the 1911. I wanted to dive in, but I wanted extraordinary reliability, durability, minimal PM, at a low lifecycle and sustainment cost, and at a low initial and ultimate replacement cost. Not a combination found in that type.
My MP45 has come very close but it won’t overshadow my Bob Rodgers/Chuck Rogers’ custom Colt Govt.
Stan
LAV’s advice the few times I’ve heard it about Glock’s:
- Get a Glock 17 or 19
- Get rid of the slot filler’s and put some real sights on it
- Install his mag release from Tango Down
- Put in a grip plug to keep out debri
- Put the OEM extended slide stop in IF you are left handed
M&P 45. The full size replaced my fave 1911 (a DW CBOB) for awhile.
I anticipate that the compact will take its place as well… 